Effect of age on cerebral blood flow velocity and incidence of vasospasm after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

Current transcranial Doppler criteria for vasospasm after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage are not age specific. We analyzed the effect of age on cerebral blood flow velocity changes after subarachnoid hemorrhage and constructed an age-adjusted predictive model of cerebral blood flow velocity in subarachnoid hemorrhage patients. We identified patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage admitted between 1991 and 1999 with a prospective transcranial Doppler database. Eighty-one patients, with complete medical records and transcranial Doppler examinations of the vessels of interest, were included. Patients were subdivided into 2 groups by age: younger, /=68 years of age (n=34). Maximum mean flow velocity and incidence of symptomatic vasospasm were reported. Linear and nonlinear regression analyses were performed. Middle cerebral artery and internal carotid artery mean flow velocity were lower in older patients (median 76 versus 114 cm/s and 76 versus 126 cm/s, respectively; P